Intention
by HaveNoMercy
Summary: SV Verse: Post series finale - Okay! I had to clean up the mess of THAT finale. Here we go! :: Lex is BACK - the *real* Lex Luthor. But who believes it's him and where has he been? (Pairings: Lexana & Tollie)
1. Chapter 1

**Rating: **R

**Genre: **Tess/Oliver Romance, Lex/Lana Romance

**Verse:** Smallville, Post Finale

**Intention**

[The story doesn't end.]

**Chapter 1 **

_**Florence, Italy**_

_**2014**_

She handled the paint brush very carefully as she let it touch the paper. The color bled onto the surface, refusing to create the exact image she had in her mind. Frustrated, she tried to force the brush to produce her vision, but she wasn't as talented as she sometimes liked to think she was.

She stopped when she heard the front door to her Italian villa open in a forceful, abrupt manner. Delicately, she set her brush down and stood up.

"Hello?" she called out, less afraid than one without her skill and power might've sounded.

But any courage she might've had disintegrated when she saw the face of her greatest adversary, her ex-husband, and the man with whom she'd experienced more passion than anyone else.

Panic coursed through her insides as she reached for the gun stowed under her desk, aiming it directly at him.

"No, it's me! Lana, it's me, really me!"

"What do you mean, 'really you'?" she questioned, cocking the gun.

"Meaning not the clone my father brought to life to wreak havoc on the planet! I'm not him! I've been in hiding for two and half years and you're the first person I've come to see."

She didn't lower her weapon.

"How do I know you're not him and why should that make me feel any safer?"

"You can know I'm not him by the fact that I know your name and everything we went through together. I don't know all the details but I know he doesn't remember you. And why are you using a gun when you have your own personal super-suit?"

She lowered her weapon reluctantly, his blue eyes piercing her with that wide range of emotions that had always confused her. Lex continued before she answered his question.

"I came to check on you first." He exhaled a ragged breath. "I know what I did to you, but you're still the woman I walked down the aisle with, no matter what else happened."

She wasn't a child anymore. She could read him better than anyone and that's what he was counting on. She could tell he was the man she'd married, the man she'd put her faith in and been destroyed by, but also the man she'd wanted to take over the world with.

He wasn't lying to her.

"I've been fine since I left Smallville five years ago."

She could see the relief in his eyes, but only for a brief moment before he took a step closer to her.

"Where's Tess?"

Lana felt her anger build up instantly and she raised her gun again.

"Don't you go near her!"

"Why?" he demanded back with the same volume as her. "What happened? Did he hurt her?"

Lana stepped back when he inched towards her. He caught her fear and kept his distance.

"Please tell me, Lana. She's my sister."

"Yes, and I have personal experience in seeing how you treated her. You made her _**think**_ that you cared about her. You practically destroyed her life and if I hadn't been there who knows what would've happened to her."

"I gave her everything I had! You tell me what you would've done! Would you really have burdened her with the Luthor name and legacy? My father would've latched onto her and destroyed her. So I gave her everything I could without burdening her with what destroyed me! Now tell me she's okay!"

He always had an answer for every despicable thing he did. In his twisted mind, everything was always justified. She loosened her grip on the gun again and licked her lips.

"Your clone stabbed her with a twelve inch knife and left her for dead. She survived, though. She's alive."

Lex turned around.

"Oh my God," he muttered as he headed for the door.

Lana super-sped to block him from leaving, successfully barricading him in the room.

"That poor woman has been through enough. Don't you dare go to her, disrupting her life all over again and putting her through anything else."

"She's the only family I have! I have to see her. And where is Clark? You three are all that matter to me."

"If that's how you treat people you care about, I'd like to know how you'd treat people who _didn't_ matter to you. There doesn't seem to be much difference, does there?"

He didn't respond and she felt regret in her choice of words, despite any truth they might've held. She clicked the safety back on and dropped her gun to the floor.

"Where have you been?" she asked in a softer tone.

"Hiding…hiding anywhere I could. And as cliché as it may sound…you, you and Tess and Clark were all that kept me alive. I don't care what I've done or what my clone has done; I just need Tess to know that I'm sorry. You already know me well enough to know that I'm not him. She doesn't. And if she's been spending time with Clark, who knows what he's been telling her about me."

"Clark's disappeared," Lana told him.

He could hear the pain in her voice and he spoke up.

"Why aren't you looking for him?"

"He's married to another woman. I was never meant to be with him."

Lex nodded. "Has Lois disappeared too?"

Lana shook her head. "I have people looking for them."

"Clark's still my best friend, and I want to hear about him later, but right now I need to see Tess. So you can either come with me or you can kill me. What do you want to do?"

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dedication:** Happy early birthday to my dear friend Ashley, AKA **Hyde's Bride**! So happy to finally have this story up for you, sweetie! Here's to Lex! xoxo!

~o~

**Chapter 2 **

"Would you stop organizing?"

"Hey, she's kinda my sister-in-law; I want her to feel at home."

"It's a fifteen-thousand square foot house; I'm pretty sure she'll be fine."

She was dissatisfied with the way her staff had arranged the room, but Oliver was growing impatient with her fussing. He came up behind her, ticking her sides to make her jump.

"Don't!" she gasped, smiling.

"It's fine, relax," he told her, wrapping her arms around her.

She leaned back into his arms. "The fact that I once kidnapped her makes me nervous."

"You? Nervous? And if you fill her up with enough wine and talk about the good news, she won't even remember. Besides, haven't you two been on good terms for awhile now?"

"Tess?"

Tess turned to see that Lana had arrived. Oliver let go of his wife and Tess smiled brightly, walking over to Lana for a gentle embrace.

"It's so good to see you."

Tess released her quickly, smiling nervously.

Lana, always feeling strangely maternal towards her friend, reached up and touched her cheek, neglecting to greet Oliver.

"Tess, I-I didn't come alone."

Tess looked at her with question and then nodded. "That's okay."

Lana guided her backwards. "Come over here for a minute."

Lana moved her to Oliver's side.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked.

"You trust me, right?" Lana asked them. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you," she stated more than questioned.

"Is it Lois and Clark? Did you find out something about where they are?" Tess asked.

Lana shook her head. "No." Lana looked to the hallway she'd just come through. "It's okay," she called.

Lana waited as Lex cautiously entered their view. She immediately felt Tess tense up beside her and watched as Oliver moved forward.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, trying to move in front of Tess.

"No, don't," Lana said, holding him back. "I would never endanger her. He's not the man who stabbed her; that wasn't the real Lex. This is."

Lex stayed away from her, holding his hands up defensively. "I don't know everything that's been going on, but I would never stab you, Tess. You're the only person who ever chose to be completely on my side. I know I betrayed that but stabbing you wouldn't have been my reaction."

Tess looked away from him and turned to Lana.

"You brought him here?"

"He needed to see you."

"Who cares what he needs!" Oliver barked.

"Tess, look at me," Lex demanded. She reluctantly did, almost afraid she would believe in him. He noticed her loose shirt and was distracted by the change in her. "Are you pregnant?"

Fury surged over her expressive eyes. "If you ever-"

"With Oliver, seriously?"

"Hey," Oliver shot back defensively.

Lana looked down at Tess's stomach, surprised she hadn't noticed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you already go through the 'Oliver Queen' infatuation?" Lex asked.

"What's wrong with _**me**_? You went back to Lana, didn't you?"

"And look how well that turned out."

A small smile crossed Lana's face at Lex's rare sarcasm. Tess, on the other hand, was not finding him amusing.

"Don't you dare judge me or comment on anything in my life. Get out of my house."

He came closer to her and she hated the way she gulped a fearful breath.

"Dammit, Tess, I was there. I was there to pick up the broken pieces of your life that he messed up. You're stronger than this."

She leaned into him.

"Your definition of making me strong was handing me a loaded gun. Get out."

"Lana, get him out of here or I'll throw you both out," Oliver warned.

"I'm going," Lex announced. "But know that I'm watching you as closely as you'll be watching me," he threatened Oliver. "I was there after you destroyed her. You took a seventeen-year-old girl into your life and then you shattered her. She deserves better than you."

"You think you can play big brother to her now?" Oliver countered.

"Okay, time to go." Lana grabbed onto Lex's arm. "Lex, come on."

Lex started to leave with her. "I'm never going to hurt you or your baby," he said, looking back at Tess.

When they'd left the room, Tess's strength cracked and she fell into Oliver's arms.

"It's okay," he assured her, enveloping her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Hey, hey," he said soothingly between soft kisses on her forehead. "What are you sorry for?"

"That he's back. Lana must really…know that for a fact, better than I could, I guess. I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Trust me, everything's fine. Most of us have in-laws, it's no big deal," he said, kissing her mouth before she laughed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him back.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

He needed his bottle of Bruichladdich as he lay on the bed in the magnificent suite she'd gotten for him. He'd drank more than she'd ever seen and she was lucky that she could count on her lifelong knowledge of his personality, because he was as different as ever.

She knelt by his bedside and pulled the bottle from his lips.

"Hey, easy, _**easy**_ there."

He was absolutely drunk as he looked at her with unfocused eyes.

"You were right, Lana Lang, about me coming back and seeing her." He leaned back against the pillow and threw his hands over his face. "My sister got knocked up by a guy I can't stand…"

Lana grinned in surprise. "Did you just use the phrase 'knocked up'?"

"I spent over a year underground and on the run, and I've had multiple drinks before ending with _**this**_," he said, dangling the scotch in front of her. "So my speech may be more blunt than usual."

"Yeah and I've been listening to you for four hours when I should just get on a plane and leave."

He took another sip and then leaned down towards her. "Oh but you're monitoring me to make sure I don't hurt her."

Staring at her mess of an ex-husband, she realized, albeit reluctantly, that she still wanted to protect him. How or why, after everything she'd been through...after everything _**he**_ put her through, baffled her.

He was too tired to remain upright so he broke their locked gaze.

"…which is fine, frankly. If you want to make sure she's protected and he's still out there, building himself up with more and more power to use against us, thanks to my father - we could all use a little protection."

"Don't be careless, Lex. Just because Clark formed a friendship with Tess and she married Oliver, don't forget that you need to be careful too."

"If my senses weren't impaired I would've assumed you cared."

Lana rolled her eyes.

"Alright, you know what? Give me that," she said, taking the bottle from him as he protested. "No, you're done for the night. Just lie down and try to relax because tomorrow, you're going to need some aspirin."

She took his shoes off for him, always irritated when he got in bed with his shoes still on, and resumed her position at the foot of the bed.

"Just close your eyes," she said soothingly. "You always needed to be doing something, reaching for more of everything you can get your hands on. Trust me long enough to get some sleep."

She _**was**_ staying to monitor him, to make sure he didn't do the damage he so easily fell into every time he got close to receiving the love he was unaccustomed to having. But she still wanted to be by his side. She wanted to be a part of something again, something bigger than herself.

Clark had never been able to accept the gray areas of Lex and Lana. They had both tried to be what Clark wanted and failed.

Maybe that's why they'd needed each other.

**To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

Tess swallowed her prenatal vitamins obediently as she typed away, still trying to find Clark and Lois.

"Hi."

Tess hated that she jumped in reaction to him standing in front of her.

"You don't need to reach for a gun," he told her, seeing that was going to be her next move. "I swear I'm not here to hurt you."

She scanned his form for any visible weapons that she'd so easily missed in the past. She stood up slowly. Once she was at a more even height with him, her shoulders dropped, releasing the tension.

"Then what do you want? I don't want this. I don't want to fight with you, no matter what hidden motives you may or may not have."

She moved aside, surprising herself that she turned away, giving him perfect opportunity to harm her. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it, wishing it was something stronger.

"Well, you're the only family I've got, and the Luthors may do a lot of things, but cutting ties completely with family is damned near impossible."

She turned back to him. "Believe me, I'll do the honors of being the first."

"You look beautiful," he said softly.

She completely believed that he was being genuine, a fact that made her really uncomfortable.

"You hate what I did, you must. You can't be happy for me."

"What you did? Become Clark's best friend and Oliver's wife? Yeah, I'll admit that takes a little getting used to."

She smiled at way he tried not to look disgusted.

"So come on," Lex said gallantly. "Tell me why. Tell me what he did to convince you to put that ring on your finger."

Lex sauntered to her couch, almost daring her to object. She pressed her lips together an attempt to keep herself from expressing any of her objections. She was also attempting to resist seeking the comfort he used to bring her. She felt like that same woman all those years ago, so eager to have his attention as she lowered herself next to him on the couch. She held her glass in one hand while resting her head in the other.

"I must be insane to let you keep doing this."

"I'm serious," he replied, ignoring her last remark. "Tell me about how he swept you off your feet. You're pregnant and married and I want to know how that happened."

"You slap wedding rings on your fingers and have a wedding night."

"Well that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

She laughed, wanting to push him playfully but resisting the urge.

"It was! I just don't feel comfortable talking about it with you – you don't even like Oliver. I actually like Lana, you on the other hand-why would you want to hear anything positive about Oliver?"

"I'm attempting to change my life, despite having however many chances this is." He saw her disbelief. "At least tell me this, is he better to you?"

"You act like he was a drunk who beat me on a regular basis." She sighed. "Yeah, okay? I'm happy. I'm always happy when he's in the room with me."

She could hear Oliver in the hallway, nearing where they were, but he reached them before she could think of a reason for Lex's presence.

"What the hell are you doing?" Oliver asked, pulling Tess off the couch protectively.

"It's okay," she told Oliver.

"Okay?" he questioned as if she were crazy.

Lex stood up slowly. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

"You get the hell out of here and if I ever see you with her again, I will kill you. This is your one chance."

Oliver had a firm grip on her arm as she tried to defend Lex, but he stopped her.

"I'm going. But I want you to know that I am proud of you," he said, and Oliver could tell she was buying every word he spoke.

Lex left quietly and she looked at Oliver with annoyance, walking away in a huff. He followed her to their bedroom.

"Why are you mad at me? I'm supposed to be mad at you!"

She just glared. He was appalled.

"Seriously, why are you mad at me?" he asked her.

"Because he didn't do anything!"

"Didn't do anything? He sliced your brain open and put a camera inside and spied on you for years! Then he lied and deceived you, making you his personal servant, denying you the knowledge that you were a part of his family and cutting you off from everything that came with that!"

She tried to respond but he cut her off.

"So now when _**you**_ have the family, when you have the connections, he wants in on it and you're willing to give him the time of day? Why, Mercy?"

"Don't call me that when I'm supposed to have none. And I can take care of myself."

"Oh that's right! And how many times have you died? What about the time in my arms?"

She felt like smacking him.

"Nothing happened! I chose you; I'll always choose you and our baby so quit yelling at me!"

He ran a hand down his face in frustration. She sighed, pulling her hair back loosely in a simple ponytail.

"When you yell at me about Lex, I feel like you hate me like you hate him," she confessed as she changed out of her clothes in front of him casually.

Oliver's eyes widened in surprise.

"I love you - not in spite of the Luthors but regardless. I don't care if he's your brother but I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

She nodded but he knew she didn't entirely believe him. He came towards her and cupped her face.

"I don't want this either. I don't want to ask you to do anything you don't want to do. So tell me what he gives you." When her eyes didn't reflect understanding, he continued. "What does Lex provide you that I don't? Just tell me and I'll give it to you."

She smiled a little at his statement. "I-I didn't mean to make you feel like I needed him that much. And never over you. I'll never forgive him, I promise."

Oliver shook his head, still holding her face in his hands.

"Don't promise me anything, certainly not to try and make me happy. I can see the comfort he seems to give you and I want to be that for you. I don't want to have to _**tell**_ you not to see him, I want to be enough that you don't need to see him."

She reached up and caressed his face. "You can't be him to me. You're my husband, he's not. I don't know what's wrong with me, to have been talking with him. But…not all of it with him was bad. He was there for me."

"To talk to? Why can't you talk to me? You can tell me anything."

She pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around him. "But you're still the man I'm in love with and I was never in love with him. It's a completely different relationship."

She sighed, her fingers stroking his hair.

"I have to deal with him but I won't talk to Lex, and I'm sorry he was in our house." She paused. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, I just want you safe," he replied, still frustrated.

XxX

At 3:00 AM she was still awake. Finally giving up on the chance that she would fall sleep, she slowly moved herself off their bed and went in search of something to occupy her mind. She turned on some low music and settled on the couch with a magazine.

The dim light in the room prevented her from seeing Oliver fifteen minutes later.

"Mercy?"

She put the magazine on the table and sat up. "Did I wake you?"

He came down in front of her. "No," he said softly, touching her face. "You can't sleep?"

His hand swept down to her belly as she shook her head.

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. Go back to sleep, one of us should get some."

"No, we go through this together," he said, kissing her softly. "Are you hungry?"

"You feed me seven times a day, so not really."

"Well come here," he said, drawing her back against the couch and laying her down. His fingers pushed her shirt up and he placed gentle kisses on her lower stomach. "Your mom needs to sleep, sweetheart," he whispered between kisses.

Tess smiled at him as she traced her fingers along his neck.

"I can't wait for you to feel her move," she told him.

"Have you?"

Tess shook her head. "Not yet, I'll tell you."

Tess was only three months pregnant and now everything was about the nursery and what the baby's name would be-everything except for Clark and Lois missing and the newly realized resurrection of Lex.

"I'm never going to lie to you," she said to him.

He slid his arms beneath her body and pulled her up against him, never breaking eye contact.

"I know you won't," he replied, kissing her tentatively and deeply.

She urged him between her legs with his already bare torso pressing up against her. He slid her panties down her legs and pushed inside her swiftly. She broke their kiss with a soft moan, only to have his lips take hold of hers again, tasting her upper lip provocatively.

"I love you," she whispered to him as she felt him take over her entire body.

He gripped the back of her head and drew it back, his mouth trailing down her neck. He showered her throat with wet kisses and his thrusts caused her climax to peak. She wrapped her arms around him, latching onto him tighter as he matched the rhythmic motions of his tongue with his deep penetrations that extended her beautiful, exhausting orgasm.

"Can you sleep now?" he asked her as she lay gasping on his shoulder.

**To Be Continued**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Lana came back to the suite to find Lex busy with her laptop.

"Do you have any respect for privacy?" she asked him, setting her bags down.

"Tess knows how to seek revenge," he replied, ignoring her. "She has restricted my access to my company, my house, all of my accounts…I taught her well."

"Well actually, all of those things are rightfully hers too, and she could do worse to you."

"What, like frame me for murder and send me to prison?" he pressed.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Lex. I'm paying for this room and I've given you access to everything you've asked for. If not for me, Oliver would've shot you on sight because he and Tess wouldn't have believed you were different from the man that stabbed her."

"But you believed me."

Lana sighed, defeated by his words. "Yeah, well, I've known you a long time."

He let the subject go, choosing as usual not to press her.

"So tell me more about Clark. You said he disappeared in a meteor shower two months ago?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't here when it happened, but that's what Tess told me. Clark could've been near crystals or abducted by who knows what; it's still a mystery. But there's no sign in danger."

"So they could also be dead."

"Don't say that," she whispered.

He stood up and came over to her. "I don't want him dead. Believe me, I don't. There isn't a way to explain what I became before I disappeared, but I'm telling you I want to help find him."

She tore her eyes from him, refusing to let him grip her soul or her curiosity.

"Tess has the information."

"You're lying to me."

She met his eyes again.

"You've been working with her, at a distance I bet, but you two have been working on this," he said to her.

"Did you find it on my computer?"

"Not yet."

She walked back over to her computer and opened a hidden file.

"Tess sent me that. Read what you want."

He started to read it but then he looked back at her, so wanting there to be more between them than files, confidential documents, and extraterrestrial knowledge. He remembered his dream of her, and after seeing what all his power did to him, he knew he was looking at the greatest spark of light in his life - Lana.

"Let's go to an early dinner," he suggested.

"Now? You don't want to read the file?"

"I trust you two to have been working on this thoroughly. And I've been underground for years. Are you willing to revive my broad palette?"

She smiled slightly. "Since it's on my tab, I get to choose the restaurant."

"Oh of course," he agreed, making her giggle. He loved her laugh. "Thank you for everything," he told her.

"Don't thank me yet, nothing's happened. Grab your jacket, I want Moroccan food."

XxX

She refused to wake up as the sunlight urged her eyelids open. She felt heavy, like gravity was making it too difficult for her to turn over to escape the brightness. When she finally pried her eyes open, she saw him looking down at her and suddenly she realized what she'd done.

"Lex," she said softly, edging away from him and gathering the covers towards her body.

He reached out and caressed her face, and she saw her own nail marks on his chest.

"I woke up next to the most beautiful woman in the world. Don't pull away from me now," he pleaded softly.

She looked down, remembering all of the trust, love, and even dependency she'd felt for him. Last night she'd fallen into his arms and it had all seemed so easy. But it didn't anymore. In the morning light, she remembered her mission to be cautious around him, the need to know what he was going to do next.

But she'd miscalculated last night and now blurred visions of being wrapped up in his arms were all she had cycling through her mind.

"What do you want?" he asked her gently.

She sat up, feeling a little dizzy as she contemplated an answer.

"If I could tell you what to do, I'd tell you to give up Luthorcorp, to give up that damned mansion and create your own life."

"You mean away from you, Tess, and Clark."

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. It's the power, Lex. It's the power that you always strive towards. I want you free of that, so you can have a real chance at happiness."

"You like the power too. You stole millions from me and used my own research on yourself."

She sighed. "The power's wearing off," she informed him. "And I barely ever used it. The ways I was helping people were not with the suit, they were from my soul."

"I always knew you were a better person than me."

"You're still alive, Lex. If you choose the right paths, even I couldn't deny what a beautiful man you are."

He had no words to reply to her. When she showed she believed in him, everything else in his mind went silent, listening for only what she would say next.

"I have to get up," she told him, knowing she was late to meet Tess.

"I could make you as happy as they are," he said to her as she climbed off the bed.

She met his eyes, pausing her re-dressing process.

"Prove it," she told him before leaving the room.

XxX

"Is it alright if I see Lana?" she asked, pouring him coffee.

He looked up at her.

"You're asking me for my permission?"

She wasn't seeking his permission, but his counsel. She wanted no misunderstanding between them in her actions or her intentions.

"Lois isn't here and with the baby coming, I want to see her and discuss with her the things that we've shared. It's just Lana and she was the one who pointed out the truth about Lex in the first place."

He wanted her to have everything she wanted. He didn't want to over-exaggerate and tell her that he thought he could lose her to the dark side. He knew Lana was a calming influence to Tess.

"Of course I don't mind," he said, standing up and pulling her into his arms. "You just promise me that you'll be careful. I want you to come home."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. "I promise."

**To Be Continued**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

**A/N: **I believe this scene or one like it is canon and did take place in _Offscreenville_. I believe in Lana and Tess's bond and friendship, off screen and continuing on in the future. I hope you enjoy!

_**November, 2010**_

_Tess dialed the number, her fingers trembling slightly. Things had been bad enough adjusting to this town after Lex had left behind his legacy of hate that was then projected onto her. Through all of that there had been one person who understood her and she needed friendly advice right now._

_She could hear the ringing over and over until at last Lana Lang answered with her soothing, confident voice._

"_It's me," Tess said softly._

"_Hey," she replied, Tess able to tell she was now smiling into the phone. "How are you?"_

_Tess didn't answer, but closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks._

"_What is it?" Lana asked apprehensively._

"_I think you're the only person who can know this right now, and I need to tell someone."_

"_I'm right here. Tell me," Lana told her._

"_I'm Lionel's daughter. I just found out that he had an affair on Lillian with Lex's nanny. I'm his sister, Lana."_

_There was a brief pause before Lana replied, "Well, not to sound insensitive, but this news bodes well for my marriage."_

_The tears stopped falling immediately as a wide range of inappropriate, colorful responses entered Tess's mind._

"_Are you kidding me?" Tess shot back. "That's your first response? You __**knew**__ I never slept with Lex."_

_Lana chuckled softly at how pissed off she'd just made Tess, feeling slightly guilty as she did so. _

"_I did, yes, but come on, Tess! You were spending more time with him than I was and then you moved into his house as the sole inheritor of his empire and I'm not supposed to wonder if there was ever a moment in his mind? You're a beautiful woman."_

_Tess sighed, beyond irritated. "You are not helping me."_

"_Well, of course Lionel would do this. I mean why didn't I realize this?" Lana questioned, more to herself than to Tess. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" Lana asked._

"_Of course not. I don't know how they'll react. For Christ's sake Lana, how's your ex-boyfriend going to react? How's __**my**__ ex-boyfriend going to react?"_

"_Yeaaah, that's a bit of a tough situation there. Probably not well at first, but if you give it time, they'll come around."_

_Tess felt the tension headache of her life straining the back of her neck and slithering its way up her skull._

_She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "I feel like everything I thought I was is a lie and now I'm just like Lex, trapped in a family that will corrupt me. I don't know what to do."_

"_Tess, this doesn't change you. This has no real power over you-"_

"_No real power? Look at what happened to Lex!" Tess cried, her strength cracking over her worst fears._

"_Listen to me," Lana said calmly. "Nothing has changed. All of your life your father has been an abusive sociopath and guess what? He still is."_

_When Lana put it to her like that, Tess felt the first moment of peace she'd had in weeks._

"_Did you ever worry you'd turn into your father before?" _

_When Tess didn't reply Lana pushed her further._

"_No, you didn't. You never worried you'd become like Gerrard and Lionel is no different. Not really. You have always known that you were able to walk away from violence and lies. Nothing's changed."_

_Lana was able to calm her by invalidating her greatest fears and in that way, Tess felt she had something in common Lex. She saw why Lex loved Lana so much._

"_Thank you," she exhaled. "I'm so scared, Lana. I'm scared for Clark to know, for Oliver and Chloe, the world. They will assume I'm like him."_

"_Then honestly, they don't deserve your friendship. You are a worthy, beautiful person. Their reactions don't change that."_

"_What do I do?" Tess whispered._

"_Spend some of the money you've now inherited. That'll give you at least a temporary high."_

_Tess chuckled a bit. "I wish the money made it all worth it."_

"_I know, but it's a good start! And if you ever need an escape, my door is always open. I know the toll Smallville can have on you."_

"_Thank you for listening and understanding."_

"_I'm here any time you need me. And look at the bright side! I'm now your family."_

"_You are?"_

"_You don't divorce your in-laws. I expect to hear from you every Christmas and birthday."_

"_I think I can manage that."_

"_Good. Now, the real question for us. How did we __**not**__ figure this out before?"_

_**Present Day**_

_**2014**_

"I love this!" Lana exclaimed, holding up the baby dress to herself.

Tess laughed. "You say that about every dress we've seen. How many of these do you want me to buy?"

"You have the ability to dote on your child, why not enjoy it?"

"I plan on it."

Lana smiled. "I can see you carrying your daughter with a little pearl bracelet…"

"Oh she will be dressed! But I still want her to get in the dirt, swim in the ocean. I'm not raising her to be in a pageant before the age of five." Lana nodded in agreement but kept her eyes on Tess, waiting for her to bring up the elephant in the room. "So how is he?" Tess finally asked.

"Different. Better. I think."

"Well you'd know better than I would," Tess said, sipping her mocha in its to-go cup. "But if I can return some friendly advice I once got, don't let him make you a victim."

"I've known him for a long time. I almost forgot what he was like when his goals were the same as mine. When I felt that I was like him."

"You know I actually thought he was a better match for you than Clark. I thought he challenged you more, was more like you."

A smile crept over Lana's face. "I'm not sure that's a compliment, but I'll take it. And I have to ask you a favor. Don't give him back the dynasty. It's the power that corrupts him. If he makes his own life, I think he has a chance."

"I think I can handle that."

Lana placed her two elegant hands on Tess's barely curved belly. "Oliver's got to be over the moon."

"Oh my god, he sent out cigars and sonogram announcement cards himself and has spent more money on the nursery than I'd intended to pay on her education," Tess laughed.

"Could she call me 'Aunt Lana'?"

Tess tilted her head in surprise. "Of course. I would love for her to have you."

_Oliver's going to kill me_.

Lana lifted her hand up to briefly touch Tess's face, then she awkwardly lowered it.

"Well what do I get the baby that has everything?"

"Just you," Tess told her, and put an arm around her. "And lots of that advice you're so good at giving."

**To Be Continued**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

"I still need the document by the end of the day…well I'm sorry if you don't like that I stepped out of the office for lunch. I still need that document and when I need the opinion of the head of inventory, I'll ask. You're lucky I'm taking your call in the first place."

She hung up and immediately jerked when she saw him standing over her.

"Stop that!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper.

Her files were spread over her private table beside her a plate of food.

"Working hard?"

She stood up immediately and grabbed her jacket.

"No, we're not doing this. You don't get to show up in my life and scare the hell out of me-"

He grabbed onto her arm lightly to hold her where she was.

"Tess, don't, please. Don't leave. I'm not going to hurt you-"

"You keep _**saying**_that but it's just words because you never intend to hurt anyone! I know you, Lex. I know you but I'm not you. No matter how much you tried to make me into you, I'm not. So let go of my arm or I will make you into a very stylish handbag for one of my executives."

He let her go and she broke eye contact with him.

"You're my sister," he said after her, as if it would make a difference.

She turned back, her hot eyes meeting his cool ones.

"A fact I won't be burdened by or punished for any longer."

XxX

"She won't talk to me."

Lana knelt between his legs and touched his hand.

"Lex, it may never be the same between you two. It may never even be okay, but one thing you have to give her is time."

"I've been gone for years. I don't want to waste any more time."

Lana still loved him for the man he'd almost become.

"Then for the time being, let her go and focus on you. You have an entire world you can embrace now and she's not everything you have. Give her time, live your life, and if you two find your way back to each other, then it was meant to be."

He caressed her cheek. "What fortune cookie did you read that off of?"

"A good one."

"Could we stay here a little longer?" he asked softly. "You and me?"

"I'm…not planning on going anywhere," she assured him.

She rose up and led him back against the pillows, snuggling up against his chest comfortingly. Her thin fingers danced along his arm, tracing repetitive patterns as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo. He wanted her back but he was more afraid to try with her than he was with Tess. Tess was his sister and he somehow believed in that link. Lana had always been able to slip through his fingers, no matter how much he loved her.

"Let me keep you safe," she whispered.

He tipped her face up to meet her gaze.

"Don't you get tired of saving me?"

XxX

He was reading up on pregnancy when he stepped into their bedroom to see Tess dragging a suitcase off the bed and towards the door.

"What are you doing?"

"I've got to go away for awhile, Oliver."

He pulled the suitcase from her.

"This thing weighs more than I do. Where are you going?"

"I can't be here. I can't be here because of Lex."

"Did he hurt you?" Oliver asked nervously, coming up to hold her.

"No," she said, shoving his hands away. "That's not what I mean. I'll always be connected to him and I don't want that for you. You didn't sign up for that. And I can't promise you that I'll never see him again. I can't promise anything so it's better if I just disappear."

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not going to let you get on a plane and go to some remote location."

The tears sprang to her eyes. "It's easier for me this way, Oliver. And I'll give you the baby if you want it and I'll keep it if you don't. We'll work it out but what I can't stand is to watch you fall out of love with me because of him."

She tried to move past him but he grabbed her wrists.

"No, look at me. You're not going to give me the baby because you're going to be right here the whole time. We can go anywhere you want to go, but we're going to do it together. He can't make me fall out of love with you. He can't make me not look at you the way I'm looking at you right now-"

"You'd be surprised-"

"Stop having more faith in him than me."

She smiled a little when his fingers caressed her perfectly upswept hair.

"But what if I see him? I mean I don't want to but what if I did? What if he was in some weird way a part of my life? How could you stand that?"

"I'd stand it. If you had to, I'd protect you but it wouldn't make me stop loving you. And if I have to endure Thanksgiving with that guy, you'd better be there."

He kissed her, bracing her up against the wall as he pulled her jacket from her shoulders. She leaned toward him as her lips played with his, his fingers pulling her hair loose and threading through the soft locks. He lifted her leg around his waist and she protested softly.

"Don't you want to tell me how much I shouldn't see him or ask me what I did?"

"No," he breathed against her mouth. "Right now I want to remind you why you shouldn't leave me."

She smiled and brought her mouth back down to his. "I know why."

She wrapped her arms around him as he laid her on the bed. She urgently pulled at his clothes and latched herself onto him, arching as his lips swept along her hot skin. He gathered her close, kissing her until she whimpered in her climax.

XxX

"Let's go see him," he said running his lips over her stomach.

"You don't want to do that."

"Sure I do. I still haven't had a decent conversation with the guy since long before he stabbed you and it'd be nice to catch up."

"He didn't stab me and if you want to fight with him, do it on your own time," she said, pushing him back against his side of the bed playfully.

"No no," he objected just as playfully. "If you want to work out sibling rivalry issues, Lana and I should be there."

"I love you enough to not put you through that."

"I love you enough to make sure you see him. I'll go with you and even not pick a fight with him. But you're pregnant and the Luthors have a thing about blood relations, so let me protect you."

**To Be Continued**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

Tess sat across from Lex with Oliver sitting protectively next to her. Lana, the wiser one of the group, stood behind Lex, providing a more calming influence to their tightly focused energy.

Tess was nervous - extremely nervous - of creating more tension between the lifelong rivals. She had a death grip on Oliver's hand and her stomach was in knots.

"Tess, you're cutting off my circulation," Oliver said and she let go immediately.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He stretched out his fingers. "It's okay." He paused. "Someone say something."

"How's the pregnancy going?" Lex asked.

"Say something else," Oliver replied.

Tess sucked in a breath.

"You're stressing her," Lex said to Oliver.

"Hey," Lana intervened. "Why don't you both take a 10 minute break from each other and if you can't do that for Tess, why don't you try and bond over something else you have in common - your shared hatred for Lionel? You do have that in common. Focus on something else besides the war you two have and give Tess a break."

Oliver sighed, looking at Lex. "I can do that."

"So can I."

Oliver looked at Tess, caressing her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she said, still in mild discomfort from the stress.

"You want some tea? I can get you some tea," Lex offered.

"I'll get her some," Lana agreed.

"Make it Sweet Oolong," Lex told her.

Oliver drew in a sharp breath at his statement.

"What?" Lex asked as Lana went to order room service.

"Oliver," Tess whispered, placing a hand on his.

"What did I say?" Lex asked genuinely.

"Nothing," Tess assured him. When Lex kept questioning eyes on her, she told him, "You knew I like that type of tea, that's all."

"Don't worry about it," Oliver said. "I like Chateau Blanc."

"Want some?" Lex asked.

"Maybe in a bit," he replied casually.

Tess smiled a little. Oliver leaned over to her.

"Are we just supposed to keep talking?" he whispered to her.

"I don't know what to say yet," she whispered back.

"Tess?"

Tess looked up to see Lana carrying a cup of tea.

"You didn't have to bring me that yourself," she said, opening her hands to take it off the beautiful tray.

"It's my pleasure," she smiled.

Lana walked back over and placed a loving hand on Lex's shoulder.

"We're really glad you came, Tess," Lana said. "Even if you can only stay a few minutes, we hope you'll come back."

_We?_ Oliver thought.

"And you let me know if you need anything," Lex told her. "And I know," he said to Oliver, "…that you're providing everything she needs. I understand that. But if I can do anything," he forced himself to say, "…just tell me. I'm here."

Tess nodded gratefully and squeezed Oliver's hand. "Thank you, I will."

Tess took a few more sips of tea and then graciously thanked them both again. When she and Oliver had left the suite, she felt relief that it was over, but also relief that she'd done it.

"Thanks for doing that with me," she said to him.

He kissed her forehead.

"Let me take you home."

XxX

"That went well," Lana reassured him, torn between comforting him and the memories of Lex's actions against her.

Lex nodded. "I know. I know it did. But she's going to look at me, you're all going to look at me and never forget."

Lana shook her head. "No, I spent years pushing you away from me, ridding myself of you, but I don't hate you and I still know what I feel when you're around me. And the difference between then and now is that none of us have to make a choice. Not you, not me, and not Tess."

"I'm so sorry," he said to her. "I'm so sorry for all of it. The control I needed over you. The law can't touch me for long…but that doesn't mean that's the only way to receive retribution. And if there's one thing I can be grateful for, it's that I can still see light in you."

She didn't feel light. She never felt any light that he claimed to be drawn towards, but if she'd ever had any, she certainly felt drained of it after Smallville-and not just because of him. Clark, despite her built-up heroic image of him, had actually wiped her free of much of her idealistic fantasies, possibly even more so than Lex had.

But Clark was often the one who was disappointed in her and when she didn't turn out to be what he believed in. However, Lex was the one who saw something in her that made him believe in her when she didn't believe in herself. And even after absolute destruction in her life, he still saw that.

She felt strong but tired, although he looked at her like she was unshattered and bright, like she'd never been broken. She remembered as she stared at him why she would lie in his arms even before the nights of passion. She remembered that he could rebuild her and keep her sure of that beauty without any falseness, and in exchange she could love him with the legacy of pain that came with him.

He reached out to touch her hair. The long locks were no longer there. Instead he felt her shorter, more mature curls in his masculine fingers. Her eyes lowered when he stepped closer, staring at his chest, waiting for him to see her as she was now and want her just as badly. Her long fingers gripped onto his ever-formal jacket and pushed it from his body, sliding her mouth up against his jaw. He whispered her name and she answered, nodding against his face as his fingers began unbuttoning her blouse.

She inhaled quickly, surprised as the sparks coursed down her stomach as he did so.

"You're the only woman I ever wanted," he whispered as his mouth began tracing the skin of her neck.

He peeled off her blouse and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "Do you still love me?" she asked him, slowly pulling him back towards the bed.

His hands stroked her back as she braced a hand for their swift impact against the sheets.

"My love for you is more than anything else."

**To Be Continued**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

"Do the markings look different to you?" she asked him, the flashlight beam shining over the cave's walls.

"You act like I'm an expert," he replied.

"We should've asked Lana to come."

"Yeah but then Lex would've come with her," he snapped and she rolled her eyes playfully.

There was a slight tremble beneath their feet, only lasting a few seconds before coming back a second time, harder and longer, spreading up the cave walls quickly, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

"What is that?" she asked, placing a hand on her extremely pregnant belly.

"I don't know!" he shouted back as he threw himself over her protectively.

In the entryway to the cave, Lex Luthor emerged, out of breath and terrified.

"What are you doing in here? There's a meteor shower coming-we have to get out of here, now!"

Oliver stood completely and pulled his wife by the wrists as a shattering tremor hit them, knocking all three of them down, rendering them nearly unconscious. Tess felt the heavy debris on her shoulders and hips; the dust in her lungs as she coughed and gasped for clean air. She kicked the rocks off her feet and looked beside her, seeing Oliver covered all the way up to his chest.

She blinked, feeling instant panic rise up in her stomach as she crawled to him.

"Oliver," she said to him, relieved when his eyes slowly opened to look at her. "Can you hear me?"

She looked to the other side of her. "Lex! Lex, are you okay?"

Lex coughed, sitting up slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, shaking his head.

"He's trapped!" she exclaimed.

"It's alright," Lex assured her, coming over immediately.

"Mercy," Oliver said soothingly.

"Can you feel your legs?" she asked, feeling an immediate stress in her own body and choosing to ignore it. "Lex, help him, please," she pleaded, starting to pull the rocks away from him.

"I am, let me do it," he insisted gently.

"Can you feel them?" she asked Oliver again.

Lex freed one of Oliver's feet from the rocks. "Try and move your foot."

Oliver did and Tess ducked her head in relief, resting it on his shoulder.

"It's alright, everything's fine," Oliver assured her, stroking her hair.

She clenched, trying not to strain but she knew he would pick up on it.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"My water's broken," she winced. "But it's okay, it's fine," she assured him, as stubborn as a soldier. "The baby can last hours inside me and we have plenty of time to figure a way out of here."

She shook her head, willing the pain away.

"Don't worry about it," she told him comfortingly, determined not to worry that it was almost a month before her due date or that they had not even so much as a blanket for a worst case scenario.

She reached for her bag and dug out her cell phone. She wasn't surprised when there was no reception but it didn't help her worrying emotions or the constricting muscles in her abdomen. She felt the amniotic fluid leaking out of her. She felt sweaty and out of breath, as she anxiously tried to manage the pain.

"Lana," she breathed. "Get Lana here," she pleaded to Lex. "She could break through the wall."

Lex shook his head. "Not anymore. She wouldn't have the power and she couldn't hear us to get us help either. Her abilities have worn off almost completely."

Lex saw the concern in her eyes and continued to try to free Oliver. Tess rested her face against her husband's shoulder as she breathed out evenly. Oliver cupped the back of her head.

"Tell me what you're feeling."

"What do you think? It's really fast and I want to push already. That can't be okay when I'm not at the due date and it's been a couple of minutes-" she was cut off from a contraction and cried out painfully.

He leaned as close as he could to her, gathering her as she sucked in a painful gasp.

"Lex, come here," Oliver ordered.

Tess looked at Oliver.

"No," she whispered.

Lex took her shoulder in his hand and she turned around fiercely.

"Tess, I can help you."

"I don't want you anywhere near my baby!" she shouted back, no control anywhere to be seen. "I don't want you to help me give birth. I think you've invaded me enough for one life time-"

She broke off her sentence when a strong pain tore through her and she latched onto his shoulders for support, stunned that any labor would progress so quickly. It angered her and made her blame herself for coming in here to search for Lois and Clark when she had her own child to protect. She never liked asking for help from others and when she did, she had the selected chosen she trusted. Lex was no longer on that list and allowing him to view her in such a fragile state made her furious.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered. "Where would I go? Where would I take your child?"

She pulled free of him and Oliver grabbed her hand.

"Listen to me," Oliver said to her and she rested her face gently against his shoulder. "You trust me, don't you?" he asked her. She nodded as he caressed her cheek. "Then I'm telling you that you can trust him right now. He can help you. I'm right here the whole time. Trust Lex."

She lifted her face to meet his eyes, amazed that he would do that for her in this moment.

"Trust him," he said again.

"Easy for you to say," she whispered with a weak smile.

She turned to Lex. "Maybe nothing will happen," she told him.

"But if it does, I can help you."

"Oh I'm sure."

He reached for her. "You're in pain, let me lie you down-"

"I'll do it myself. Give me your shirt."

When he stared at her, she explained. "I don't have a blanket, Lex. I need it for the baby. And tell me you have a pocket-knife or something to cut the cord."

Lex felt very strange for having one, because he did have one, although he had never been the kind of man to have had one on hand, especially not four years ago. He removed his shirt and handed it to her, but she refused the knife.

"Keep it," she told him. "I can't hold it and push at the same time. Keep helping Oliver."

She got up and walked a short ways to gently lie down and as modestly as possible, prepare herself for bringing her baby into the world without any medical preparation or security at all. Her fear and determination allowed her to ignore the pain and embarrassment as she wished for a private room and a very large blanket to pull over her head.

"If you're lying about Lana," Oliver told Lex as he continued to pull the rocks off his crushed legs.

"Have you seen her use any powers lately? And even if I were lying, what am I going to do? You've known me most of my life, do you really think I'd kill a woman while she was giving birth?"

"God knows, but what I do know is that would be your very worst decision."

Lex sighed, meeting his rival's brown eyes. "I know her better than you think I do, and I know her fears too. But I also know that you're the one who comforts her, so I'll tell you what, you do that, and I'll make sure she doesn't die."

"Alright, then go."

Lex got up and made his way gently over to Tess, who glared at him as he knelt beside her.

"Tess, look at me," Oliver said to her, and she did. "It's going to be alright, everything is."

The pain gripped her again and she had nothing to grab onto. "I'm really scared," she told him, holding her breath for comfort. "I don't know what to do because I don't know what's happening."

"Do you feel like pushing?" Lex asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything," she replied helplessly.

"Well, don't hold your breath," Lex told her.

"And don't clench," Oliver added.

"Oh I love the opinions from those of you who are not in labor!" she snapped back in distress.

"Can I take a look?" Lex asked.

Tess closed her eyes. "Pretend you heard some affirmative response so I don't have to think of how to answer that."

She tried not to pay attention though the realization that the flashlight had been lost in the rubble gave her slight comfort at this moment.

"She's going to be born soon," Oliver said to her with a smile.

She turned to him, all adoration present in his eyes, every ounce of joy and love there for her, and she let it distract her for a moment.

"And we'll get to hold her," he smiled.

"Everything's going to be okay, right?" she asked him.

"Everything's going to be fine. You just keep looking at me."

"I can't see very well," Lex told her. "…but I think you might be able to."

"What does that mean? Can you see her?" Tess asked, straining.

"Yeah," he replied. "I mean I'm not a doctor but I think so."

If she'd had a gun, he probably would've been dead. That was less comforting than if he'd said nothing at all. Her entire body felt like it was being ripped apart and against all inclination, she was making sure not to push and he couldn't reassure her more than that?

"Can you see her head or not? Don't tell me you're not a doctor! You're the eyes that no one else in this place can be!"

"I'm telling you to go ahead and push!"

Tess looked at Oliver.

"Do what he says, it's okay."

"What if she dies, or if I-"

"No," he told her, reassuring her. "You've worked so hard to make her, so go ahead and bring her into the world."

She gasped for breath as she forgot about her fears of being a bad mother or the world directing any leftover Luthor hatred onto her daughter. She'd wanted to keep her baby protected forever, the way she never was. Even though she had no idea how to do that, Relaxing, even for a moment, to let Lex catch her daughter was necessary for her to be able to finally hold her.

She pushed, using the energy, the drive she'd always had and felt her baby slip easily from her with no drugs to numb the feeling as Lex caught her.

"I got her," he said gently, taking his shirt from Tess's legs and wrapping the baby in it.

Immediately he placed the baby in Tess's lap and she cried. Tess's relief was evident as she looked at Oliver.

Lex handed Tess the pocket knife, allowing her to cut the cord herself.

"She's looking at me, Oliver," she told him as she cut the cord, fascinated by the tiny baby looking up at her.

"Is she okay? Is she beautiful?"

"Of course she is. She probably feels like I do, though," Tess smiled, fixing the end of the cord for her daughter and gathering her up. "She's breathing fine, she's tiny, but she's breathing and she has all her perfect parts."

"What about you?" Oliver asked.

Lex touched Tess's face. "Do you feel okay? Weak?"

Tess nodded. "I'm okay. I'm tired, but I'm fine." She looked back at her daughter, feeling the tears of stress and relief fall from eyes as she touched a tiny hand with her finger. "I know you, baby girl, I've always known you. You can see me, I know you can."

She wanted to let Oliver see her but she didn't want to let her go yet.

"Lex, you need to let him see her in a minute."

Tess leaned her head back, exhaling in relief and smiling. "It's dark enough in here that she's still got her eyes open, babe," she said to Oliver, caressing her daughter's delicate skin with her pinky.

"Is she still looking at you?"

He watched Tess smile, her full eyes still flooded with tears. "Yeah," she whispered. "You need to see her."

"Don't move her yet, she's happy where she is."

Lex worked very hard to not crowd in on Tess's moment or interfere with Oliver watching her, though he desperately wanted to see the baby girl also. He watched them converse a few more minutes before Tess asked him to take the baby to see Oliver. He did so obediently, gently lifting her and bringing her directly to Oliver's arms.

She gurgled as Oliver gathered her close.

Tess noticed Lex go back to his mission of getting over free and she noticed his selfless acts of today. She waited for the afterbirth as Oliver enjoyed his daughter and then despite knowing she needed to let her body recover, she redressed and crawled back over to her husband and new baby.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked. "Lie down. If you want her back, we'll hand her to you."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, caressing her daughter's head adoringly.

"Are you crazy? You're on your side. You could be bleeding!"

"Of course I'm bleeding, I just gave birth! I'm going to be bleeding for awhile."

"You know what I mean, would you please lie down? You could go into shock because of how fast you just gave birth. Let us get you to the hospital and after you recover you can run around and prove how invincible you are all you want."

The wall exploding behind them interrupted their verbal spar and Tess threw herself over her daughter's tiny body.

"Hello?"

Lex immediately recognized his former best friend's voice as he freed Oliver's body once and for all.

"Clark!" he called out. "Thank God!"

"Clark," Tess cried out weakly. "Help, please," she pleaded weakly.

"Tess!" Lois called out to her frantically, coming forward to help her up from the ground. "Honey, Clark didn't just knock you down, did he?"

Tess shook softly in tears as Lois wrapped her in her arms. "No, the meteor shower trapped me and I just gave birth and I'm all disgusting. I'm sorry," she whimpered.

Lois caressed the back of her head. "Shhh, it's okay, you're not disgusting-I have stories!"

Tess pulled back and wiped her tears of exhaustion. "I need to know where you two have been but can you please take my baby to the hospital? She's a month early-please!"

Lex had helped Oliver and the baby girl up from the ground and Oliver was bringing her towards Clark.

"Then come right back and take Tess-please."

Clark immediately took the baby into his arms as Lois comforted Tess. "I'll take care of her and be right back for you," he assured Tess.

He super-sped away with the newborn. Oliver came to Tess and held her.

"It's okay, she's fine."

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Perfectly fine. Between you and me, you always survive something more difficult. It's rather unfair."

Oliver looked to Lois and reached out for her. "_**You**_ have some explaining to do," he teased as she walked to him for a hug.

Then Lois looked to Lex. "And you, aren't you the hero today?" and then she went to him, embracing him. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully.

Before anyone had much of a chance to react, Clark had super-sped back.

"Tess?" he said, his arms open for her.

"Be gentle," Oliver requested.

"Take me to her?" Tess asked, walked to him.

"I will right now," Clark assured her, gathering her gently. "It's okay," he told her softly. He looked to his wife. "You can steal a car or something and drive them both to the hospital, right?"

"Count on it," Lois replied.

**To Be Continued**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

Lana Lang ran as fast as she could to the hospital room, not remembering being so furious at herself in years. When she entered the room, she saw Tess lying in her bed exhausted. She dashed to her side, neglecting to acknowledge Clark Kent being at the right as she bent down to Tess.

"Tess, dammit, I'm so sorry I wasn't there! I wasn't there to protect you and you were trapped! You had to give birth like that-with those men? I'm so sorry," she whispered, taking Tess's hand and kissing it. "You must've been so scared, I'm so sorry."

"_**Those**_ men," Tess repeated with a small smile.

Lana rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, unfortunately I do. I've been insanely pissed off at both of them-a lot of the time, so yes."

Lana dropped her head in shame.

"Hey," Tess said comfortingly. "It's not your fault. It's not your responsibility. It's my fault for going in there. I did what I always do and I tried to be all heroic and I got myself into trouble. But did you not notice who's back? And who's born?"

Lana looked up and saw Clark holding Tess's daughter.

"Hi," she whispered happily. "Clark," she exhaled with relief. "You're okay."

"Yeah, you want to see her?"

Lana nodded, then looked at Tess. "Oh my god, where are they? They're alive, right? Lex and Oliver?"

"Yeah, they'll be here in any minute. Lois is driving them here."

"Lois," Lana exhaled with a smile. "Lex and Lois in a car together? Geeze," she laughed.

"She was actually really wonderful to him," Tess informed her. "Anyway, would you look at my daughter?"

Lana went over to Clark and took the baby into her arms. At that moment a loud trample of footsteps came towards the hospital doorway, followed by three out-of-breath people. Oliver dashed over to his wife as Lana handed the baby to Clark and threw herself into Lex's arms.

"Hi, Lois," Lana said, briefly squeezing her hand after she had embraced Lex.

"Hey Lana," Lois replied with equal warmth.

Lex kissed Lana softly and then pulled back and looked at Tess. "Are you both okay?"

Tess nodded, her hand still in Oliver's. "We're okay, thank you."

Lex was tense and they all could see it. Clark came toward to him and Lex was surprised as he easily passed the baby into his arms. "You should hold her," he said, and Tess tried to relax and trust in Clark, having realized that he and Lois knew more now than the rest of them did since they'd been back.

Tess squeezed Oliver's hand.

Lex remained tense, not knowing how to hold the baby. Lana laughed softly and stepped close to assist him.

"Here, relax your arm, her head's not going to fall off if you relax-there. You can enjoy it a little," she encouraged, kissing his forehead.

Lex smiled down at the baby, but not holding her very long before carrying her over to her mother and placing her in Tess's arms. Tess took her and then looked up at Lex, curious and grateful.

"So seriously," Lex said, looking to Lois and Clark and changing the subject. "Aren't you two tired from wherever you've been?"

"Yes, I think we're all tired," Clark said. "How about we sleep and reconvene tomorrow?"

"I can stay with Tess," Lana offered.

"I can," Oliver announced.

"You need to be checked out by a doctor and then go home. You were crushed like a cartoon character," Tess told him.

"You gave birth to another human being, you win."

"I do win, you do what I say."

"You all do what I say," Lana announced. "Everyone go home but me. Goodnight."

"I'm not even gonna argue," Lois said, as they began to very slowly filter out.

"Hey Lois," Tess called after her once there was more privacy.

"Yeah!" she called back, grabbing onto Tess's hand.

"You wanna tell me about having been in the future or am I just supposed to ignore the elephant in the room forever?"

**To Be Continued**


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Three years seemed like five minutes as Lex Luthor walked through his sister's hallway in search of her. Nothing in life was what he'd imagined it would be, and yet every day he was learning to relax and enjoy it more and more.

As he came into her great room, he heard their sighs and soft whimpers before he could escape the sight of Tess topless straddling her husband on the sofa.

"Lex!" she exclaimed, ducking against Oliver's chest as if that would help.

"I'm sorry! Trust me, I am very, _**very**_ sorry!" he replied, backing up.

She tried to reach for her shirt but Oliver held her where she was. "Well then go back out the way you came in," he told his brother-in-law.

Tess struggled playfully before giggling as she managed to slide Oliver off the couch.

"Hand me my shirt," she whispered through laughter.

"Oh forget it," he said, standing up with her shirt in his hands.

She threw a pillow at his head. "Don't take it with you! Give it to me!"

"You'll get it back when we've finished," he replied unabashedly with both her shirt and the pillow. "Don't take too long with my wife," he requested to Lex as he left them alone.

"Believe me, I'd rather not when you leave her like this!" Lex called after him.

Lex looked at Tess as she ducked behind the sofa cushions.

"How can you stand that guy?"

"I have an addiction to suffering," she replied irreverently. "What do you need?"

"I was just dropping by to tell you that Layla is going to have a cousin in about 7 months."

Tess's eyes widened. "Really?" she whispered happily.

"Yes," he whispered back, kneeling down to her height. "Can we come for dinner and let your ridiculous husband know the news?"

She nodded frantically.

"Could you have clothes on by then?"

"I promise we'll at least have our shirts."

Lex rolled his eyes. "Why do I bother?" he droned, turning to leave.

"Good question!" she called after him.

**The End**


End file.
